Brownies.from Scratch

[Mario Davis]

Ibet you already have everything you need in your kitchen to make these incredible brownies from scratch right now! They are super easy to make, taste like rich dark chocolate, have the fudgiest middles, and have crinkly, shiny tops.

As my brownies bake, this heated sugar moves up to the top of the brownies when they are in the oven, which is how they get that shiny top. The hot butter also blooms the cocoa powder, making our brownies taste better.

I bake my brownies in a 325F oven until the edges are set and the middle looks slightly underdone. I like using a toothpick to tell when my brownies are ready to come out of the oven and look for a small amount of batter left on the toothpick. The brownies continue to firm up as they cool, so even though they may look underdone, they will be perfect when cooled to room temperature.

Say hello to our favorite brownies recipe from scratch. You only need a saucepan and spoon to make these brownies. Mixing the sugar and cocoa powder into the hot melted butter helps get that shiny, crinkly top we all love.

If you reach for darker chocolate over milk chocolate, these bittersweet brownies are for you. Use natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder. See the tips below the recipe for guidance on choosing the best cocoa powder for your brownies.

1Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325F (162C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to help remove the baked brownies from the pan.

6When the batter looks thick and well blended, add the flour. Use a spoon to beat the flour into the batter until it is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I use a wooden spoon or spatula and beat for 40 to 50 strokes (see video for reference).

2Bake the brownies until the edges look dry and the middle is slightly underbaked, 20 to 30 minutes. A toothpick plunged into the center should emerge somewhat moist with batter. As the brownies cool, they firm up but will always be moist and fudgy in the middle.

The batter was so thick, I ended up not using the parchment paper and just greased the pan to be able to spread the batter. I think there is too much cocoa but it still tastes very good. I added chocolate chips and pecans.

absoluetely perfect, i added the recommended amount of flour but once i stirrred it it didnt look like enough so i added more and it still turned out great, nice and soft in the middle and doesnt have the texture of a cake like some recipes do , the top is also a little crisp, deff recommend

ReplyCharlotte HofmannJuly 5, 2024, 3:54 pmLove this recipe but wished I would have used my olive oil spray on parchment paper before pouring batter into pan and prevented some of them from sticking.

These easy homemade fudgy brownies are the result from all my experimenting. They have become one of my kids most requested treats. Whenever I bring a batch of these brownies somewhere to share they never last long!

The type of pan that you use to bake the brownies actually does matter due to heat transfer and conductivity. Ideally, brownies should be baked in a metal pan. I prefer to use a dark pan coated with foil, a light colored baking pan is my second choice. Brownies will bake nicely whether you choose to use a dark or light colored metal baking pan.

If possible, you should avoid making brownies in a ceramic or glass pan, as they are slower to conduct heat. It takes over three times as long for a glass pan to heat up compared to aluminum, although it will retain heat longer. This means that if you bake in glass cooking time will be longer which risks burnt edges.

The batter should be pulling away from the edges of the pan and the top of the brownies should be mostly set. A toothpick test may have some melted chocolate chips on it but should not be covered in batter. Brownies will continue to set as they cool.

Store brownies on the counter at room temperature covered tightly with foil or in an airtight container for up to three days. To preserve freshness of brownies, transfer to airtight container in the fridge. Brownies tend to dry out after several days of storage.

Look at the edges, they should be pulling away from the pan. The top should be set and not jiggly. If you stick a toothpick in the batter, it might have melted chocolate chip on it, but should not be covered in batter.

Delicious my husband loved them as well I had all the ingredients added walnuts for extra scrumptious gave in to my craving soon as found this recipe can't wait to share with my children and grandchildren Happy Holidays.

These brownies are delicious! I made them today and shared them with my neighbors, they all loved them, not 1 brownie was left, such a great recipe, thank you for sharing. This will be my go to recipe ?

It takes longer for the glass to heat up, which can lead to uneven baking, and it will definitely take longer to bake. Since glass is all you have, some things you can do would be to reduce the baking temperature by 25F, increase the time and cover with foil if they start to brown too much.

Made these with my 12yr old daughter last night and they turned out WAY better than we expected! I have a horrible track record in the kitchen, making things for scratch, but this recipe was easy to follow and they were PERFECT!!! The only tweak we had to make was when we realized we were out of baking soda, so "Auntie Google" told us we can use 3X the amount of baking powder, then cut the salt in half.

Thank you for this recipe!! We'll be using it again and also we will be checking out your other recipes!

Hi Nina - I checked and haven't had any readers tell me they have made the brownies with gluten free flour. Since the recipe just uses 1/2 cup of flour, I really think it would work. I need to try it out myself. Thank you!

Yes, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I would not reduce or eliminate the amount of chocolate chips or it will result in really dry brownies. In this particular recipe, they melt and help add some texture.

That sounds delicious and now I want to try it too! I think it would most likely work, but since I haven't tested it, I can't say for certain. Thank you for the comment and I will be adding it to my recipe testing docket. Would love to know if you do go ahead and try it.

I make healthy choices mostly, but sometimes, you just need something good and chocolatey. These were quick to pull together and so tasty! I only had mini chocolate chips on hand, so that made a tiny texture difference, but the rich taste was so good! Thanks for sharing!

Wow, I feel honored by your comment! And I love your honesty haha I get quite a few messages asking if it's really just 1/2 c. of this and that. Hopefully this feedback will help others too, thank you!

I grew up with a mother who almost always made her baked goods from scratch, even in an age when the packaged mix was king. This meant that my childhood was blessed with rich, lusciously fudgy brownies. But the brownies of school bake sales, sleepovers, and birthday parties? They reliably came courtesy of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, and I don't ever remember turning my nose up at them, either.

These days I try to follow mom's lead, but in those moments when time is running short and I volunteered to bring dessert, I'm sorely tempted by the boxed options. I have to wonder: Will anyone notice the difference?

There is some debate about when and where brownies first appeared on the dessert scene, but sources agree that the chocolate confection originated in the United States (USA! USA!) around the turn of the 19th Century. A clever hybrid between cake and cookie, brownies are a dense, chocolaty bar cookie baked in a rectangular pan; they can be fudge-like, cake-like, or anything in between.

It was about three times more expensive to make the brownies from scratch than to use a mix, owing mostly to the cost of chocolate and walnuts. I spent about $4.25 on the Pillsbury mix plus added ingredients, versus $13.50 for the homemade batch.

Slight edge to store-bought. Many of the ingredients are similar (flour, sugar, and eggs), but the store-bought version calls for vegetable oil instead of butter and contains cocoa powder in lieu of bar chocolate, resulting in a lower saturated fat content.

Slight edge to homemade. All the chocolate and butter in the homemade brownies kept them moist and flavorful for about a week, wrapped well with foil. The Pillsbury brownies were good for about four days before drying out.

The Health Nut: Store-bought; "It's lighter and fluffier, which I like in a brownie. And it reminds me of being a kid."

The Foodie: Homemade; "It has a much, much more authentic chocolate flavor, and I like the cake-like texture."

The Kid: Homemade. "It's more chocolaty."

The Dude: Homemade; "I like the texture, and the nuts and frosting. It lets you know you're not eating something out of a package."

The cocoa powder used in store-bought brownies is simply no match for the freshly melted chocolate you'll get with the real McCoy. While most people won't turn down a store-bought brownie--and may even enjoy the nostalgic journey back to their childhood--nearly all of our testers recognized and appreciated the quality difference of a brownie made from scratch.

To make the ganache, use high quality chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Bakers Chocolate. It is easier to melt and results in a smoother consistency (check out my chocolate ganache post for more tips). Let the ganache fully set and chill before cutting and serving the brownies.

Freezing: After the assembled brownies have chilled and set, freeze in a single layer for an hour. Then place in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

Make ahead: Brownies may be baked and made 48 hours ahead of time. Frosting and ganache will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat the ganache in a double boiler or the microwave on 50% power level before spreading.

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